Perineural invasion on biopsy specimen as predictor of tumor progression in aging male treated with radical prostatectomy. Could we use it for pre-surgical screening?

Hematologic parameters are not predictors of upgrading or treatment in a racially diverse prospective study of men with prostate cancer on active surveillance

INTRODUCTION

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios (PLR) are useful clinical biomarkers for prognosis in several malignancies. Their predictive value has been less clearly demonstrated with prostate cancer (PCa), particularly, their utility within active surveillance (AS) protocols. We aim to evaluate NLR and PLR in AS patients.

METHODS

We identified 98 patients who met inclusion criteria in our cohort of 274 men diagnosed with PCa on AS. Patients were then categorized into high and low NLR and PLR groups.

RESULTS

The 2.5 and 5-year Gleason upgrading free probability for our high NLR cohort was 73.9%(CI 56.3% to 97.0%) and 46.2%(CI 22.4% to 95.1%) compared to 76.3%(CI 65.7% to 88.7%) and 61.7%(CI 47.7% to 80.0%) in the low NLR cohort(p = .73). The 2.5 and 5-year Gleason upgrading free probability for our High PLR cohort was 73.5%(CI 57.3% to 94.2%) and 60.1(CI 41.4% to 87.4%) compared to 76.8%(CI 65.8% to 89.65) and 58.1%(CI 42.2% to 80.1%) in our low PLR group(p = .41). A multivariant analysis demonstrated these groups were not significant predictors of upgrading or treatment.

CONCLUSION

Despite their usefulness in many types of malignancy, NLR and PLR were not predictors of upgrading or treatment in men on AS for localized PCa in our cohort.

Overweight and obesity in men with prostate cancer do not constitute risk factors for biochemical recurrence

AIM

To investigate if overweight and obesity were associated with a higher degree of biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy, in Mexican men with prostate cancer (PCa).

METHODS

We included 180 men with PCa, who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP). Body mass index (BMI) was determined and the degree of PCa aggressiveness was established according to the D'Amico classification. Postoperative follow-up of all patients was performed with PSA quantification every/6 weeks after surgery and then at 3-month intervals for 1 year, followed every/6 months for 5 years. Postoperative BCR was defined as two consecutive increases in PSA levels ≥0.4 ng/mL, after RP.

RESULTS

Sixty eight percent of the patients presented overweight or obesity. We found that only intermediate/high risk patients presented an increased risk factor for BCR-free survival (HR = 4.39; 95% CI = 1.74-11.24; p = 0.002). The median follow-up of all men has been 7.9 years and no significant differences in BCR-free survival time has been observed between the BMI groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The overweight and obesity do not represent a risk factor to present BCR after RP for PCa. However, an intermediate/high risk, according to the D'Amico's classification, constitutes a risk factor to present BCR after radical prostatectomy, which is not related to the BMI.

Consecutive transperineal prostatic template biopsies employing cognitive and systematic approach: a single center study

INTRODUCTION

The role of transperineal template biopsy for prostate cancer diagnosis is well established. Pre-biopsy multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used in most centers for planning of prostate biopsies and staging. Cognitive and software fusion techniques are increasingly getting popular.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent transperineal template biopsies from January 2016 till December 2018. This included patients on active surveillance, previous negative transrectal ultrasonography biopsies with persistently raised prostate-specific antigen/abnormal prostate on digital rectal examination and de-novo template biopsies. Two specialist uro-radiologists reported all the scans and the biopsies were performed by one experienced urologist. The cognitive biopsies were performed for PIRADS 3-5 lesions on MRI. Total of 330 patients underwent transperineal template biopsies and cognitive target biopsies were carried out in 75 patients who were included in the study. We evaluated the results as positive/negative cognitive biopsies and also according to the PIRAD scoring. Only the patients with prostate cancer on template biopsy histology were included.

RESULTS

Fifty-seven (76%) of the cognitive biopsies were positive out of total 75.[Table: see text].

CONCLUSIONS

Combined cognitive and systematic biopsies have excellent diagnostic rate especially for PIRAD 4-5 MRI areas.

Sensitivity and specificity of Briganti nomogram in Turkish patients undergoing radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection

AIM

To investigate the accuracy of Briganti nomogram in patients who underwent Pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND).

METHODS

Hundred and sixty-five patients who underwent radical prostatectomy and PLND between 2012 and 2018 in our clinics were included, and their data were retrospectively screened.

RESULTS

The mean age of patients was 63.6 ± 5.8 (range: 49-76) years. Hundred and thirty-five (81.8%) patients had a Briganti score of <5, whereas 30 (18.2%) had a Briganti score of ≥5. The preoperative T-PSA levels, biopsy grades and the incidence of T2b and T2c stages in patients with a Briganti score of ≥5 was significantly higher than that in patients with a Briganti score of <5 (p: .026; p: .000; p: .001, respectively). The incidence of lymph node positivity in patients with a Briganti score of ≥5 (76.7%) was significantly higher than that in patients with a Briganti score of <5 (25.2%) (p: .000). The sensitivity of the Briganti score to detect lymph node positivity was 40.35%, specificity was 93.52%, positive predictive value was 76.67% and the negative predictive value was 74.81%. The accuracy of the test was 75.15%.

CONCLUSION

Nomograms provide useful information regarding prostate cancer. Risk estimates should be carefully considered, and treatment decisions should be given with a patient-specific approach.

Prostate cancer incidence and diagnosis in men with PSA levels >20 ng/ml: is it possible to decrease the number of biopsy cores?

OBJECTIVES

To define if less number of cores would be sufficient to diagnose prostate cancer (PCa) in men with PSA levels >20 ng/ml and to reveal the cancer detection rates in this population.

METHODS

The data of the men who had 12-core prostate biopsy with a PSA value >20 ng/mg were reviewed. We recorded age, prostate volume, PSA level, and pathology report findings. Patients grouped according to PSA levels and compared for PCa detection rates, and several parameters. We created 16 prostate biopsy scenarios (S1-S16) and applied these to our database to find out the best biopsy protocol to detect PCa.

RESULTS

A total of 336 patients with a mean age of 70.5 (47-91) years were included. Mean PSA level was 190.6 (20-5474) ng/ml. PCa detection rates were 55.3%, 81.0%, and 97.7% in patients with PSA levels 20-49.99, 50-99.99, and ≥100 ng/ml, respectively. PSA level was correlated to clinically more important digital rectal examination findings. We selected 2 cores in S1-S6, 4 cores in S7-S12, and 6 cores in S13-S16. We calculated the sensitivity of each scenario and found that all scenarios in PSA Group 3 had a sensitivity >95%. In Group 2, S8, S10, S13, and S14 and in Group 1, only S14 had sensitivity >95%.

CONCLUSIONS

It is not necessary to take 10-12 core biopsy samples in men with PSA levels >20 ng/ml. We recommend taking 2, 4, and 6 samples for patients with PSA levels ≥100 ng/ml, 50-99.99 ng/ml, and 20-49.99 ng/ml, respectively.

Impact of positive surgical margin location and perineural invasion on biochemical recurrence in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy

Objective

To estimate the prognostic value of positive surgical margins (PSM) location and perineural invasion (PNI) for biochemical recurrence (BCR) in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP).

Methods

All men with prostate cancer (PCa) who received RP in the second hospital of Tianjin Medical University from 2014 to 2018 were retrospectively identified. All patients met the following criteria: no neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment, absence of lymph node invasion, or distant metastasis confirmed by surgery or imaging. Comparisons were made between cases with only apex positive (AM), isolated nonapical positive (OM), multiple positive (MM), and negative surgical margins (NSM). Patients were also subdivided according to the Gleason score and pathological tumor stage for analysis.

Results

A total of 416 patients available for analysis, of which 132 (31.7%) were PSM, 43 were AM, 37 were OM, and 52 were MM at a median follow-up of 27 months. The PNI was in 30.5% of patients. BCR occurred in 22.6% of patients during follow-up. Both AM and MM were noticed to be independent predictors of BCR with a hazard ratio of 4.192 (95% CI 2.185–8.042; p < 0.001) and 2.758 (95% CI 1.559–4.880; p < 0.001), respectively, when compared to NSM. Though the correlation was significant in univariate analysis, PNI was not an independent risk factor for BCR (p = 0.369). Subgroup analyses suggested that MM was not particularly predictive for BCR in the Gleason score < 8. The hole Cox regression model for the C-index was 0.843

Conclusions

PSM location was a significant independent predictor of BCR in PCa, especially in patients with AM or MM, while PNI is a non-independent risk factor. Compared with other locations, AM has a higher BCR risk.